Medicament container cap



MEDICAMENT CONTAINER CAP Filed Feb. 20, 1967 v 22 50 ifm, 24' l IMI/622 22 ,Dmfd /J/LJS,

United States Patent O W 3,433,378 MEDICAMENT CONTAINER CAP Donald J. Ross, 5704 S. Katrine Ave., Downers Grove, Ill. 60515 Filed Feb. 20, 1967, Ser. No. 617,127 U.S. Cl. 215--6 10 Claims Int. Cl. B65d 1/04. 55/02; A615 1/00 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A container top especially suited for medicaments wherein provision is made in the cap to carry a sample of the medicament, the name thereof, along with a detailed brochure on the medicament, and wherein the bottle cap also carries on the external periphery thereof, indicia indicating prescription costs and the like information.

This invention relates to a unique closure for containers, being particularly directed to a container closure for medicaments, and the like wherein provision is made in the bottle cap to carry a sample of the medicament, a label identifying same, a detailed brochure setting forth the specific uses, side effects, and other pharmaceutical information as well as providing handy, readily changeable, and easily referred to information concerning dosage, prescription lot costs, and the like.

More specifically, this invention relates to a container cap desirably, but not necessarily, of plastic or other materials of -low cost which provides the drug industry, and particularly pharmacists, with a bottle cap having provisions to meet any and all needs associated with the dispensing of medicaments. The cap is easily assembled and disassembled in order to allow for reusage for other medicaments, changes in price, or other specific information which, from time to time, becomes available due to the passage of time or extended use of the medicament.

At the present time a pharmacist usually purchases a large trade size container of a medication he has frequent call for and to this container he attaches a label showing prices of various quantities. When the supply in the bottle nears completion, he normally orders a new supply and empties the contents of the new container into the stock bottle which he had used previously. This is a faulty practice as the lot or control number of the new supply is lost. In the event of a drug recall, which may be necessitated by the finding of a negligently manufactured drug, the pharmacist has no way of knowing if the supply on his shelf is part of the lot which should not be dispensed. With the bottle cap of my invention, the pharmacist can simply change caps as the information he normally maintains on the stock bottle will be in the cap and he will also have all of the information pertaining to the lot he is actually dispensing.

The Federal Drug Administration requires manufacturers of medicaments to enclose in or to attach to each container a product information brochure. In practice, this brochure or leaet is usually lost before the con-tainer is emptied. My novel bottle cap provides space to contain this brochure or leaet so that it will be handy when needed and cannot be lost inasmuch as it is contained in an enclosed compartment of the bottle cap.

Additionally, my novel bottle cap provides for the placement of warning information, price information, and other related information which may be easily changed and which brings to the attention of the pharmacist, caveats or other needed information each time a container of the medicament utilizing my novel bottle cap is used.

These and other objects and advantages will more fully appear from the following description made in connection 3,433,378 Patented Mar. 18, 1969 with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals throughout the several views designate like elements and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of my novel bottle cap and the elements of which it is comprised;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional, elevational view of the bottle cap depicted in FIGURE t1; and

'FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional, elevational view showing another embodiment of my bottle cap.

IBroadly, the container closure or bottle cap of this invention, comprises a rst member having an enclosed compartment adapted to carry a sample of a pill and a label identifying same, a second member having a Ifirst recess to receive the enclosed compartment, and another second innerset recess adapted to carry a brochure or leaflet concerning the medicament, the iirst and second recesses being in open communication with one another. The outside depending walls of the second recess are adapted to nest within the mouth of a medicament bottle or container. Preferably, around the second member is a third transparent member and between the two members a strip of paper or the like may be supported, which strip of paper will contain price information as well as specific drug information, the various side effects the drug may have when used in conjunction with others, or any other information of a pharmacists choosing.

Referring specilically to FIGURES `1 and 2, there is `shown one embodiment of the novel bottle cap comprising a rst member 2 having an inverted cup configuration or portion 4 and an annular-flared top `6 which is preferably transparent at least in the center portion thereof. A sealing member 8 closes off the mouth of the open cup 4 and provides a compartment which is suitable to carry a pill 10 and identifying label 12 for the medicament contained in the container to which the bottle cap is applied. The sealing member 8 may be of a flexible type of material, plastic or otherwise, and may either frictionally engage the mouth of the open cup 4 or Where desired may be secured to the rim of the open cup by means of an adhesive or the like. Where adhesive or glue is used, the sample pill and label may not thereafter be changed with ease as where only a frictional it is provided for sealing member 8.

The exterior depending walls 14 of the cup member 4 are threaded so that they may engage the interior threaded walls 16 of a second member 18 having a stepped collarlike appearance. The member 18 is provided with a first recess 20 of sutiicient size to receive the compartment of cup-shaped member 2 and a second innerset recess 22 to form another compartment when member 2 nests within recess 20 and in which a brochure or leaflet 24 may be supported. The exterior walls 26 of the second recess 22 are preferably of such as size so as to nestle within the open mouth 28 of the medicament container 30 and may or may not provide for frictional, fluid-tight engagement with the mouth of the container 30. The stepped c ollar-like member 18 has an exterior depending wall 32 offset from the wall 26 of the second recess 22 t9 form a shoulder 34 therebetween s0 as to provide a stop upon which the upper surface of the container top may abut. If desired, annular gasket 35 may be provided to insure fluid-tight sealing of the container. Gasket 34 may be of any well known gasket material including plastic and -may be of a size to t within the depending walls 26 and 32.

In the embodiment shown herein, the depending exterior wall 32 of the second member 118 is threaded on the interior surface 36 at least the depth of the second recess 22 so that it may engage in fluid-tight relationship with the threaded portion 38 of the bottle top.

The member 18 has a lower-most edge flange or abutment 40 which is adapted to support transparent ring member 42 thereon. A paper or other material strip 44 may be placed between the interior wall 46 of the ring member 42 and the exterior wall 48 of the stepped collarlike member 18 and since ring member 42 is transparent, this information and indicia may be readily observed. Preferably, so as not to necessitate the usage of an adhesive, glue or other material, the top 6 of the first member 2 is flared so that when the cup portion 4 is nestled within the first recess of the stepped collar-like member 18, the transparent ring member 42 is held in sec-urement thereby.

In the arrangement just described, it can be readily seen that the novel bottle cap provides for ease of access to not only the brochure or leafiet contained within the second recess, but also ease of removing the strip of paper indicia in order to make any changes thereon and also for the placement of the pill sample and label carried in the compartment of the first member where a friction fit between sealing member 8 and member 2 is provided.

While the cap has been shown as being made of plastic material, it need not be so since other materials will do just as well, but for reasons of economy and for ease of readability, it is preferred to use a plastic transparent material particularly for the upper most fianged portion 6 of the first member 2 as well as for the ring member 42.

Referring specifically to FIGURE 3, another embodiment of the invention is depicted which is essentially the same as that depicted in FIGURES 1 and 2 with the exception that the outer walls 14 of the first member 2' having the fiared top 6 are not threaded and are merely of a smotth nature which are adapted to engage the interior Walls 32 of the first recess 20 in a friction-engaging manner. Likewise, the depending walls 26' of the second recess 22' are preferably formed -to be of the same diameter as the bottle mouth 28' and is made of a known frictionally engaging type of plastic such as Teflon thereby making it unncessary to have the interior threads (FIGURE 2f) on the depending outermost Wall portion ofthe collar-like member.

The depending exterior walls 32 and flange 40 of the second member 18' overlying the mouth of the bottle, provide means manipulable by the human hand whereby the bottle cap may be disengaged from the mouth of the bottle.

While the bottle cap has been described in reference to specific embodiments, it is readily apparent that various modifications may be made from the described structures, including various combinations of features disclosed without departing from the scope of this invention. The examples illustrated are to be taken as exemplary and are merely presented in the specific manner indicated to cornply with the United States patent laws and are not to be taken as delimiting the invention. For instance, while an annular bottle cap has been depicted, it is at once apparent that the cap as well as the container to which it is applied may take any polygonal configuration.

The embodiments of this invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A container closure comprising a first member having an enclosed compartment; a second member having a first recess of at least the same size as said enclosed com- Cil partment to receive said enclosed compartment and a second innerset recess opening to communicate with said first recess, the outside depending walls of said second recess 4being adapted to nest within the mouth of a container.

2. A container closure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said enclosed compartment comprises an inverted cup configuration having a flared top of about the same dimensions as said second member and the bottom surface of said compartment is formed by a sealing member engaging the mouth of said cup configuration.

3. A container closure in accordance with claim Z wherein said second member has exterior depending walls encircling said first and second recesses, said walls being substantially coextensive and offset with said depending walls of said second recess whereby the wall of said second member between said depending walls forms a shoulder to abut the upper surface of said container mouth.

4. A container closure in accordance with claim 3 which additionally includes a third transparent member encircling the exterior periphery -of said second member.

5. A container closure in accordance with claim 4 wherein a shoulder is formed on the lower exterior edge of said second member and is adapted to support said third transparent member thereon.

6. A container closure in accordance with claim 5 wherein said outside depending walls of said second recess forms a stopper adapted to frictionally engage the mouth of said container in fluid-tight relationship, and said enclosed compartment is adapted to frictionally engage said first recess and maintain said first, second, and third members in unitary relationship.

7. A container closure in accordance with claim 5 wherein the exterior walls of said compartment and the interior walls of said first recess are threaded for engagement thereby and the interior surface of said exterior depending walls encircling said first and second recesses are threaded at least the depth of said second recess for threaded engagement with said container.

8. A container closure in accordance with claim 7 wherein said first member is at least partially transparent and said compartment is adapted to carry a medicament and identifying indicia thereof.

`9. A container closure in accordance with claim 8 wherein said sealing member frictionally and removably engages the mouth of said cup configuration, and said second recess is adapted to carry a brochure of said rnedicameint.

10. A container closure in accordance with claim 9 wherein an encircling strip of indicia is carried between said second and third members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,070,275 12/1962 `Bostrom 220-23 X FOREIGN PATENTS 773,154 4/ 1957 `Great Britain. 477,161 1/1953 Italy. 479,749 4/21953 `Italy.

DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. XR. 

